pollution – Learning at the Libraryhttp://gottesman.pressible.org
Research tips, event recaps, how-to's and best kept secrets from TC's Gottesman Libraries.Thu, 23 May 2019 19:19:23 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.4.2Everett Cafe News: Oceans of Plastichttp://gottesman.pressible.org/govan/everett-cafe-news-oceans-of-plastic
http://gottesman.pressible.org/govan/everett-cafe-news-oceans-of-plastic#respondThu, 05 Jul 2018 14:16:48 +0000http://gottesman.pressible.org/?p=30294In early June some 80 plastic bags and other plastic items were found jammed into the belly of a small male pilot whale that died in Thailand after five days of a desperate rescue effort by veterinarians and marine officials. Mistaken for food, seventeen pounds of plastic caused the whale to sicken and starve — a profound example of the problem of man-made pollution in our oceans.

I first heard this sad news from a shop owner who appreciated my decline of the inevitable plastic bag for items, including some contained in plastic which I opted to stuff into a large fabric purse. We commiserated over the counter, knowing that plastic is wreaking havoc on our planet. While a cheap and durable necessity in our everyday lives, it needs to be used far more than just once to justify.

While it may the largest and most well known, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, or Pacific Trash Vortex, is not alone; gigantic trash colonies are trapped in massive gyres swirling around the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian, and Arctic oceans — to such a degree that by 2050 we may have more plastic than fish in our waters! Yes, that’s right. Roughly 8-15 million tons of plastic per year pour into the ocean — much of it single use — straws, bags, bottles, common household items, not re-used, re-duced, or re-cycled, but simply made to be thrown away… devastatingly. Think about the next time you grab a coffee stirrer, straw or cup — and consider simple, reliable, long-term alternatives — metal spoon, mug, maybe even no straw at all.

Toxins and plastics ingested by fish or sea creatures pass through the food chain, as the garbage keeps accumulating— some of it buried beneath the water’s surface! Did you know that halfway between New Zealand and Chile lies the uninhabited Henderson Island which tops the “polluted by plastics” list? As of 2018, this World Heritage Site recorded a whopping 18 tons of plastic debris, or close to 40 million tons of junk — oceans upon oceans of plastic washed up by several continents, but also lying broken down into particles below the white sand!

Oceans of Plastic builds upon green initiatives for World Environment Day, June 5th, 2018, whose theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution“, as it supports the Library’s Learning Theater event, “Makers of the Deep”, a week-long educational activity designed for the Hollingworth Center summer science campers.

Curated by library staff and designed by Angela Perrone, EdLab Services Associate, this display incorporates research, narrative journey, children’s books, and practical ideas for addressing the pressing problem of plastic.

]]>http://gottesman.pressible.org/govan/everett-cafe-news-oceans-of-plastic/feed0Today in History: World Environment Dayhttp://gottesman.pressible.org/govan/today-in-history-world-environment-day-2
http://gottesman.pressible.org/govan/today-in-history-world-environment-day-2#respondTue, 05 Jun 2018 20:13:41 +0000http://gottesman.pressible.org/?p=30178World Environment Day began in 1974 and is recognized annually on June 5th as an effort by the United Nations to increase global awareness of and action towards the protection of planet Earth. It was designated by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 in support of its Conference on the Human Environment and has addressed many many topics and concerns through the years. This year’s theme is “Beat Plastic Pollution” and India is host the 2018 celebration which aims to combat single-use plastic pollution.

Need to keep current, look to the past, teach a topic? The Everett Cafe features daily postings of news from around the world, and also promotes awareness of historical events from an educational context.